Americans are tired.  Always.  One industry, energy drinks, has been quick to turn this unfortunate situation into millions of dollars.  Last night I saw a commercial for 5 Hour Energy Drink, which has apparently changed the game a bit by targeting working people (other energy drinks focus on teens and athletes).  The commercial started with the question “How is your 2:30?” with obvious implications of that being the time when most are tired and always looking for a little boost.  What should they do?  Reach for a 5 Hour Energy Drink, of course.

I have to admit marketing professionals at Living Essentials, makers of 5 Hour Energy Drink, are pretty savvy.  A key point of the commercial highlighted the fact that the drink only contains 4 calories and no sugar. Energy without the calories and sugar?  Hmmm.  That alone is enough to make most folks give it a shot.  And, they did a good job of pointing out the problems with drinking coffee, all the while saying their drink contains the caffeine of only one cup of coffee.  Pretty smooth.

Not being a big fan of artificially induced energy, I did a bit of research.  First stop, 5 Hour Energy Drink website of course.  The ingredients page lists mega doses of B vitamins and an energy blend that contains amino acids along with caffeine.

Are High Doses of B Vitamins safe?

More isn’t always better, even when it comes to vitamin B.  Forseeing that question, Living Essentials further explains B vitamins are water soluble meaning your body expels anything it can’t use without toxic side effects.  True, but what they don’t tell you is that you have to drink lots of water in order for that to happen.  In other words, there has to be something to help your body expel the extra vitamins.  It won’t just happen on its own.  And, if your body retains those vitamins, it could become a situation of toxic overload.

How Much Caffeine does 5 Hour Energy Drink Have Anyway?

The caffeine claim should also be of concern.  The folks that make 5 Hour Energy Drink claim it “contains caffeine comparable to a cup of the leading premium coffee”  Exactly how much caffeine is that?  Well, they don’t define “leading premium,” but we’d have to be nuts not to think of the leader in coffee…Starbucks.  Energyfiend.com has an extensive chart on the amount of caffeine in various beverages and they have a separate chart just for Starbucks.

A regular cup of coffee as touted in the 5 Hour commercial has about 108 mg of caffeine (assuming it’s 8 oz).  Starbucks, on the other hand, has anywhere from 108 mg to 415 mg depending on the size.  Of course, our friends at Living Essentials never state what size cup they’re comparing 5 Hour Energy Drink to.  Is it 8oz, 12 oz, 16 oz or 24 oz?  There’s a big difference in the amount of caffeine.  Now, did they forget or simply choose to omit this important piece of information?

How Much Caffeine is Too Much?

So what’s the problem with caffeine?  According to the Mayo Clinic, 200-300 mg of caffeine per day is harmless to most people.  Following this train of thought, 5 Hour Energy Drink is fine as long as you don’t consume more than 1 per day AND you don’t have any other caffeine throughout the day, including foods/candy that contain caffeine.  Overdoing it can cause:

• Insomnia
• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
• Muscle tremors
• Headaches
• Anxiety

5 Hour Energy Drink is marketed as a pick me up when you feel tired or out of it during the day.  However, information from the Mayo Clinic states that it’s not a good idea to use caffeine to mask sleep deprivation.  In fact, doing so causes a vicious cycle of lack of sleep, caffeine, inability to sleep, lack of sleep, caffeine, inability to sleep and so on.

What Are The Health Risks of Caffeine?

Those with health problems should also beware.   Caffeine exacerbates heart arrhythmias, as well as other ailments.  Ask, 27-year-old Antonio Hassell’s widower.  She’s currently suing Living Essentials for the wrongful death of her husband who she claims suffered a heart attack after drinking the 5 Hour Energy Drink.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss energy patches and whether they offer a viable alternative to always being tired.

Related posts:

1. Why Am I Always So Tired?
2. Pulling the Trigger on Tobacco: Why Do You Light Up?
3. The Truth about Soda – Finally!